6 Tips for Preventing Credit Card Fraud

| Tedis Baboumian |

When you’re trying to establish a good credit history and credit score, the last thing you want to do is have your personal information stolen. Credit card fraud is one of the most common forms of identity theft, so it’s important to do what you can to try to stop credit card fraud from happening to you.

Keeping Your Credit Cards and Numbers Safe

To help keep your credit cards safe, they should be kept close to your body in a wallet or purse. When you go out, only carry the cards you’re planning to use. Make sure your card has been returned when you leave a store or restaurant.

Another way to help keep your credit card numbers safe is byshredding any documents that have your number or identifying information on them. Watch out for phishing attempts, in which a scammer may use familiar company names or logos to try to capture personal information.  When anyone asks for personal information over the phone or through email, make sure they are who they say they are.

Make Passwords Hard to Guess

It’s tempting to use words or dates that you can easily remember as passwords, but if your passwords are predictable or easy to guess,you’re at risk of having your information stolen. Using a password generator is a good way to make passwords harder to guess.

Use Caution When Using Credit Cards Online

Be cautious when using credit cards online. Make sure anti-virus software is up-to-date and avoid using personal information on public WiFi. Instead of clicking on email links even when they seem to come from a company you do business with, go straight to the website of the business and login there. Don’t input your credit card number unless you’re on a securesite. To know if a site is secure, look for a padlock icon in the address baror https:// in the address field.

Watch Out for Card Skimmers

When you use a credit card or debit card at gas stations orATMs, watch out for card skimmers. These are small devices that can steal your card information once the card is swiped. You may be able to notice them if the card reader seems larger than normal or loose. If something seems off about a card reader, go to a different location.

Review Billing Statements Monthly

Knowing exactly where you’ve used your card is one of the best methods of defending your personal information. Pay attention to your billing statements every month and make sure there’s nothing on them that doesn’t look legitimate. If you see any charges that you don’t recognize, let your card issuer know immediately.

Use a Credit Monitoring Service

A credit monitoring service is a way to proactively monitor your credit report. Dovly offers a credit monitoring service that watches your credit reports and lets you know immediately if there are changes in them. By receiving these alerts, you find out right away if someone has used your information rather than finding out months or years later. Try Dovly risk-free with our free membership tier.

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